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Venom Vol 1 153
Supporting Characters: * * * ** ** Antagonists: * ** ** Numerous unnamed others Other Characters: * * Races and Species: * * * Mutant * * * * * Locations: * ** *** **** ***** ****** New York Sewer System ****** ****** Midtown ******* ******** Items: * * Alchemax Symbiote Blood Serum Events: * | Synopsis1 = Moon Girl runs out of an entrance to the sewers, attracting the attention of a pair of construction workers who tell her it's not safe for little kids. She tries to warn them, but is interrupted when Devil Dinosaur bursts from the sewer entrance, scaring the workers into fleeing. Moon Girl tries to calm Devil down, saying that people could get hurt, but he tries to eat her. Venom grabs her at the last second, scolding her for not listening when he told her not to bring her dinosaur into the sewers. Stegron stops Devil Dinosaur from chasing them, saying it is not yet time to unveil themselves, but that when it is Devil Dinosaur will be his steed. As Moon Girl yells at him to go back to save Devil Dinosaur, Venom deposits her on the roof of an apartment and reminds her that her friend tried to eat her. Saying that this has gotten too big for the two of them, Venom considers putting in an anonymous call to the Avengers and stealing the symbiote's medicine from Alchemax, but Moon Girl interrupts and says that if he calls the Avengers they'll hurt Devil Dinosaur or take him away. As she storms off, Venom tells her that Stegron can control dinosaurs, meaning that Devil isn't her friend anymore, but she snaps at him that if he's not in control of his actions then he's still her friend and must be fighting what's happening. Mulling over the new information, she theorizes that she might be able to create a transmitter to block Stegron's telepathic control, but Venom reminds her that Stegron won't wait for them to build something to stop him from dumping his dinosaur serum into New York's water mains. Moon Girl says that just means they need to come up with an immediate solution, but asks Venom to not hurt Devil Dinosaur, reminding Eddie of the symbiote's plight when she asks if he wouldn't do everything he could if he had a friend who was in trouble. The symbiote says it knows how to break Stegron's control of Devil Dinosaur, but Eddie hesitates. Looking down at Moon Girl crying, he reluctantly agrees to the symbiote's plan. Overjoyed, Moon Girl hitches a ride on Venom's back as they web-swing to Stegron's lair. Elsewhere, Stegron prepares to hook up massive vats of his dinosaur serum to New York's water supply, scolding his minions and Devil Dinosaur for not being more careful. When Devil Dinosaur smells something, Stegron yells at him for becoming distracted, not noticing Venom emerging out of invisibility behind him. Venom tackles Stegron from behind, but he orders his minions to continue setting up his plan. Devil Dinosaur roars and lunges at Venom, and Stegron sneers that he must have forgotten that the beast is under his control and has no qualms about biting him in half. Inside Devil Dinosaur's mouth, Venom says they were counting on that, the symbiote forcing Devil's mouth open so that Venom can escape and then wrapping around his head. As the symbiote flows off of him and covers Devil Dinosaur's head, Eddie internally remarks that this plan had better work. The symbiote responds that it can be a hero and save them all. Bonding to both Eddie and Devil Dinosaur simultaneously, the symbiote severs Stegron's control. As Stegron demands to know what's happening, Eddie tells him that the symbiote connects to its host's brain stem and that Stegron's telepathy has nothing on that. As Stegron counters that he still has his slaves, Moon Girl drops crystals into the vats of Stegron's serum. Stegron orders his slaves to buy him time while he pours the serum into the water, but Moon Girl reveals she altered the temperature of the vats to render the serum inert and added a slow-release potassium capsule for good measure. The vats explode, knocking her to the ground, and a livid Stegron lunges at her, snarling that she stole his future from her and he will make her future one of agony. The symbiote notes it's hard to control Devil Dinosaur, but Eddie tells it to focus and help Moon Girl. Lashing out with Devil Dinosaur's claws and tail, the symbiote devours several dinosaur men but notes there are too many. Eddie is slashed across the back by a pterosaur hybrid, causing the symbiote to lapse into a feral rage. Eddie immediately pulls it off Devil Dinosaur, lamenting that he knew the idea was a bad one from the start. As Moon Girl stays just outside of Stegron's reach, Venom snarks that short forearms are a classic dinosaur problem. Turning to see Venom holding a wrench, Stegron asks Venom if he honestly thinks he can hurt him with the human tool or if he was planning on escaping through the waterworks again. Venom retorts that he was thinking that Stegron has to weigh between 1200 and 1500 pounds, and Stegron says all of that bulk is muscle, scale, and horn — making Venom no match for him in a fight. Venom agrees, then asks if Stegron can swim as he uses the wrench to bash the valve off a water tank, the resulting torrent blasting Stegron into the reservoir. Venom fishes him out and webs him up, Moon Girl scolding him for almost letting Stegron drown. Venom retorts that he should have, since Stegron could wake up at any moment and seize control of his minions again. Moon Girl replies that all they have to do is knock him out again, and that the dinosaur people don't want to be Stegron's slaves in the first place. An ankylosaur hybrid agrees, and Venom asks what they'll do without Stegron. The ankylosaur hybrid says that those who volunteered for the transformation help those who didn't have a say to adjust to their new forms, and that without Stegron they aren't a threat to anyone, and intent to work on a cure for those who wish to return to human form. Venom remarks that the dinosaur people have found a new god to worship in Devil Dinosaur, but Moon Girl vetoes that, saying that Devil sticks with her and she is not setting up shop in the sewers. She points out that the dinosaur people just want to be left in peace and need a protector, and Venom realizes she's talking about him. At Alchemax, Dr. Steven and Liz Allan present Eddie Brock with a package of syringes containing a month's supply of medication for the symbiote. Dr. Steven tells him that the symbiote shouldn't devolve any further if he sticks to the prescribed dosage, though he says that blood serums are difficult and that he wants to monitor Eddie for the first few days to make sure it works. Eddie thanks them, but says that rather than a doctor's appointment he could do with a job. Liz refuses, saying that while she's happy to provide him with the medication needed to prevent him from becoming a homicidal monster, Eddie is a wanted man and that Alchemax is under enough scrutiny as-is without a federal fugitive on the payroll. Eddie asks what he'll do to make a living, saying that his assets from his stint with the FBI have been frozen, and Liz suggests he steal from the criminals he beats up, asking what happened to the dinosaur army he'd mentioned. Eddie lies and says he overestimated the amount, that the ones who survived fled into the sewers, and that without Stegron they're harmless. Liz hints she knows he's lying, remarking that he should get paid for telling stories in a dig at the Sin Eater debacle. Later, Eddie — clad in a black trench coat, shirt, and pants — walks down the street as the symbiote jubilantly proclaims they did it. He asks what it was they did to make it so happy, pointing out they're broke and saddled with protecting an underground city of dinosaur people who'll inevitably cause them trouble. The symbiote proclaims that they're heroes and succeeded in helping Liz Allan and getting it the medicine, and in working alongside other heroes to protect people. Spotting a tabloid magazine proclaiming the Skrull Invasion to have been a governmet hoax, Eddie wryly smiles and admits that maybe the symbiote is right and things are looking up after all. | Solicit = “THE LAND BEFORE CRIME” CONCLUDES! • Eddie Brock and the Venom symbiote are having a tough time sticking together, biologically speaking. Fortunately, the fine folks at ALCHEMAX are working on a cure! • Eddie just has to find and stop Stegron the Dinosaur Man from turning New York into a raging army of dinosaurs for them! • Luckily, MOON GIRL AND DEVIL DINOSAUR are around to help! I wonder if they realize Stegron can control dinosaurs in addition to turning people into them. | Notes = | Trivia = * Editor Devin Lewis notes that he personally loathes the monstrous traits Venom accumulated over the years, especially the prehensile tongue, implying that he was behind the informal decree to return Eddie to his original design, mentioned by artist Mark Bagley in an interview regarding the cover of . | Recommended = | Links = }}